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#PLO Decides to Halt Security Coordination with #Israel
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/plo-decides-halt-security-coordination-israel

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An Israeli soldier walks down stairs in front of a graffiti scrawled by Zionist settlers on the wall of a Palestinian home on March 5, 2015 in al-Mughayir, east of Ramallah in the northern #west_bank. The graffiti in Hebrew is a sentence from the Book of Esther in which Jews ruled over their enemies. AFP/Abbas Momani

Palestinian leaders in the West Bank said on Thursday they would halt the security coordination with Israel, which was credited by some as helping keep order in the territory and preventing anti-Israel attacks, while others said it served Israeli interests by aiding and abetting oppression of Palestinians. read (...)

#Palestine #Palestinian_Authority #Palestinian_Central_Council

Top Nusra Front Commander Killed in #syria Blast
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/top-nusra-front-commander-killed-syria-blast

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Syrian fire fighters put out a blaze at the scene of a reported barrel bomb strike by the Syrian army on March 5, 2015 on the Qadi Askar rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of #Aleppo. AFP/Zein al-Rifai Syrian fire fighters put out a blaze at the scene of a reported barrel bomb strike by the Syrian army on March 5, 2015 on the Qadi Askar rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. AFP/Zein al-Rifai

Al-Qaeda’s official Syrian wing, the al-Nusra Front, announced on Thursday the death of its top military commander, who insurgent sources said fell victim to a blast targeting a high-level militant meeting. The news came as Aleppo was ravaged by heavy fighting while the Syrian opposition was seeking (...)

#Abu_al-Dhuhur #Abu_Humam_al-Shami #Abu_Mohamed_al-Jolani #al-Nusra_Font #Bashar_al-Assad #Freeze_Plan #Hazm #Hobait #ISIS #Khaled_Khoja #National_Coalition_of_Syrian_Revolution_and_Opposition_Forces #NCCDC #Russia #Salqin #Staffan_de_Mistura

Israeli Forces Arrest Driver Who Hit Pedestrians in #jerusalem
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/israeli-forces-arrest-driver-who-hit-pedestrians-jerusalem

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An Israeli policeman stands guard near a car that plowed into pedestrians in Jerusalem injuring several people, before its driver got out and tried to stab them on March 6, 2015. AFP/Thomas Coex

Updated at 1:40 pm (GMT+2): A driver plowed his car into Israeli pedestrians in Jerusalem on Friday before trying to stab them, injuring several in an attack mirroring similar incidents last year, Israeli police said. “A young man rammed his car (into pedestrians), and then got out and tried to stab people” before being shot and seriously wounded by an armed security guard, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement. “Four people were injured,” she added, describing the incident as a “terrorist attack.” read (...)

#Israel #Palestine

Libyan Factions Begin New Round of #UN-Brokered Peace Talks in #Morocco
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/libyan-factions-begin-new-round-un-brokered-peace-talks-morocco

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Fighters from the #Fajr_Libya (Libya Dawn), an alliance of Islamist-backed militias, take position in Bir al-Ghanam, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the capital, on March 5, 2015. AFP/Mahmoud Turkia.

Representatives of #Libya's two rival parliaments on Thursday held UN-brokered talks in Morocco aimed at reaching an agreement on a national unity government and finding someone to head it, officials said. The meeting took place in a “positive and constructive” spirit, UN special envoy Bernardino Leon, who has been trying to bring the two sides together for weeks and who chaired the talks, told a press conference. In the previous rounds of UN-brokered peace talks, Leon was not successful in holding direct face to face negotiation between the main warring (...)

#Hezbollah: The International Community’s Sole Concern
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/24067

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With an array of crises sweeping the #Middle_East, the “global community” is no longer taking much interest in #Lebanon. Only Hezbollah continues to draw international attention, due to its expanding role in the region.

#Articles #Iran #Saudi_Arabia #syria #Opinion

#ISIS Bulldozes Ancient Assyrian City: Iraqi Gov’t
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/isis-bulldozes-ancient-assyrian-city-iraqi-gov%E2%80%99t

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A file picture taken on July 17, 2001 shows Iraqi workers cleaning a statue of winged bull at an archeological site in #Nimrud, 35 Kilometers (22 miles) southeast of the northern city of #Mosul. AFP/Karim Sahib A file picture taken on July 17, 2001 shows Iraqi workers cleaning a statue of winged bull at an archeological site in Nimrud, 35 Kilometers (22 miles) southeast of the northern city of Mosul. AFP/Karim Sahib

The Islamic State of #Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group has begun bulldozing the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in Iraq, the government said, in the jihadists’ latest attack on the country’s historical #heritage. ISIS “assaulted the historic city of Nimrud and bulldozed it with heavy vehicles,” the tourism and (...)

#ancient_city #artifacts #Assyrians #Diyala #Hatra #museum #Samarra #Tikrit #UNESCO

Saudi Foreign Minister Urges Coalition to Fight #ISIS on the Ground
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-foreign-minister-urges-coalition-fight-isis-ground

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US Secretary of State #John_Kerry (R) walks alongside Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (L), Foreign Minister of #Saudi_Arabia, before a meeting with Saudi king Salman on March 5, 2015 in Riyadh. AFP/Evan Vucci US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) walks alongside Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (L), Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, before a meeting with Saudi king Salman on March 5, 2015 in Riyadh. AFP/Evan Vucci

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince #Saud_al-Faisal called Thursday on the US-led coalition conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State of #Iraq and #syria (ISIS) group in Syria and Iraq to fight the jihadists on the ground. The kingdom, part of the coalition, "stresses the need to provide the military means (...)

#Iran

#ISIS Torches #Oil Field East of #Tikrit as Iraqi Army Pushes #Mosul Offensive Forward
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/isis-torches-oil-field-east-tikrit-iraqi-army-pushes-mosul-offens

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Iraqi government forces and allied militias gesture as they hold the national flag in the northern part of Diyala province, bordering #Salahuddin province, as they take part in an assault to retake the city of Tikrit from jihadists of the Islamic State of #Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, on March 4, 2015. AFP/Younis al-Bayati Iraqi government forces and allied militias gesture as they hold the national flag in the northern part of Diyala province, bordering Salahuddin province, as they take part in an assault to retake the city of Tikrit from jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, on March 4, 2015. AFP/Younis al-Bayati

Updated at 3:40 am/pm (GMT+ 2): Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants (...)

#Ajil #al-Alam #al-Dour #Ben_Hodges #Daesh #oil_field #US-led_coalition

#Hezbollah: The International Community’s Sole Concern
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hezbollah-international-community%E2%80%99s-sole-concern

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A Lebanese woman waves Hezbollah’s flag in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburb, on February 16, 2015. Al-Akhbar\Haitham Moussawi.

With an array of crises sweeping the #Middle_East, the “global community” is no longer taking much interest in #Lebanon. Only Hezbollah continues to draw international attention, due to its expanding role in the region.

Hiyam al-Qusayfi

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#Opinion #Articles #Iran #Saudi_Arabia #syria

#turkey Pushing for Own ‘Popular Mobilization’ Militia in #Iraq
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/24045

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Turkey is investing in the upcoming battle for the liberation of #Mosul to expand its influence in Iraq. An increasing number of credible reports indicate this course of action, in the aftermath of the operation launched by the Iraqi government to retake Tikrit (the last major stronghold for Daesh before Mosul), with support from the Iranian #Qods_Force led by General #Qassem_Soleimani.

#Articles #ISIS #syria #Mideast_&_North_Africa

Agreement Between #Walid_Jumblatt and Al-Nusra Front
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/24027

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Mediated by a member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the talks between al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front (ANF) and Lebanese MP Walid Jumblatt were successful, culminating in an agreement regarding the #Druze community in the Syrian city of Idlib. The agreement reportedly requires the local Druze to convert to Sunni Islam and demolish their shrines, in return for ANF suspending Sharia-sanctioned punishments against them.

#Articles #Lebanon #Nusra_front #syria

The Mosul artifacts: A priceless loss
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/mosul-artifacts-priceless-loss

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An image grab taken off a video reportedly released by Media Office of the Nineveh branch of the Islamic State (IS) Group on February 25, 2015, allegedly shows an IS militant destroying the statue of Lamassu, an Assyrian diety, with a jackhammer in the northern Iraqi Governorate of Nineveh. AFP.

It is hard to overstate the historical and archaeological significance of the area extending from Mesopotamia to Egypt. This stretch contains the early stages of human civilization, especially from the Neolithic era (from 8,000 to 4,000 BC). It was during the late Paleolithic and early Neolithic periods that human beings acquired an advanced level of knowledge. We transitioned from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a settled agrarian existence with major (...)

#Politics #Articles

#Saudi_Arabia Consolidates its Alliance Against #Iran
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/saudi-arabia-consolidates-its-alliance-against-iran

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A handout picture released by the Yemeni Presidency on February 28, 2015, shows President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, right, meeting Saudi ambassador to #Yemen Mohammed Said Al-Jaber in Aden. AFP.

New Saudi #King_Salman bin Abdul Aziz is widely considered a hardliner, more hawkish than his predecessors on both domestic and foreign affairs, and his first few weeks in office have confirmed this reputation. He started off by getting his house in order, reassuring his American ally about the recent rejiggering of the royal hierarchy, ostensibly meant to pave the way for a new generation of leaders. He promoted the leaders of the kingdom’s counter-terrorism establishment, finding among them a new crown prince, a new deputy crown prince, and executives for various other (...)

#Opinion #Articles #Houthi

PLO to File #ICC Case Against #Israel in April
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/plo-file-icc-case-against-israel-april

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A Palestinian boy lies on a mattress admist the rubble of buildings that were destroyed during the 50-day Israeli assault, in #Gaza City’s al-Shejaiya neighborhood on February 26, 2015. AFP/Mohammed Abed A Palestinian boy lies on a mattress admist the rubble of buildings that were destroyed during the 50-day Israeli assault, in Gaza City’s al-Shejaiya neighborhood on February 26, 2015. AFP/Mohammed Abed

The #palestinians are to lodge their first complaint against Israel for war crimes at the International Criminal Court on April 1, a senior official told AFP on Monday. “One of the first important steps will be filing a complaint against Israel at the ICC on April 1 over the (2014) Gaza war and settlement activity,” said (...)

#jerusalem #Palestine #rights #west_bank

Kerry Denounces #UN Human Rights Council “Obsession” with #Israel
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/kerry-defends-israel-against-obsession%E2%80%9D-un-human-rights-c

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US Secretary of State #John_Kerry gestures as he delivers remarks to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, March 2. AFP/Evan Vucci

#US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday launched a staunch defense of Israel at the annual session of the UN human rights body. Israel has long had stormy relations with the Human Rights Council (HRC), which has repeatedly accused it of rights violations in Palestinian territories, leading to accusations of bias by Israel and its allies. “The HCR’s obsession with Israel risks undermining the credibility of the entire organization,” Kerry said at the opening of the main annual session of the council, which aims to protect human rights around the globe. read (...)

#Gaza #human_rights_violations #ICC #jerusalem #Palestine #west_bank

Thani’s Parliament Picks Controversial General as Libyan Army Chief
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/thani%E2%80%99s-parliament-appoints-controversial-general-libyan-

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A Libyan soldier, loyal to #Libya's internationally-recognized government and General #Khalifa_Haftar, monitors a street from his sniper nest in the eastern coastal city of Benghazi on February 28, 2015. AFP/Abdullah Doma.

Former Libyan general Khalifa Haftar was appointed as army commander for the country’s internationally-recognized government on Monday, in a decision that may complicate #UN talks to end fighting in Libya. The appointment of Haftar, a former Gaddafi ally who later became his enemy and in 2011 joined the revolt against the Libyan leader, is likely to stoke tensions with the Tripoli government, which sees his rise as a sign that the old guard is gaining strength. read (...)

#Abdullah_al-Thani #Egypt #Fajr_Libya #ISIS

#syria : The Week in Review (February 23-March 1)
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/24018

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The flashpoint areas in Syria this past week did not change much as the north of the country, namely #Hasaka and #Aleppo, and the southern front of #Quneitra witnessed significant advances by #Kurdish_Forces and the Syrian army against extremist groups. On a political level however, the visit of four French lawmakers to Damascus highlighted the international divides on the Syrian crisis. Some hailed it as start of a European shift towards the Syrian government while others called it a “diplomatic transgression.”

#Bashar_al-Assad #Deraa #France #Harakat_Hazm #ISIS #Nusra_front #Sweden #turkey

#syria : The Week in Review (February 23-March 1)
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syria-week-review-february-23-march-1

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A displaced Assyrian woman, who had fled her hometown due to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) attacks against Assyrian communities, takes part in a prayer at the Ibrahim-al Khalil Melkite Greek Catholic church in the Jaramana district on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on March 1, 2015. AFP/Louai Beshara A displaced Assyrian woman, who had fled her hometown due to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) attacks against Assyrian communities, takes part in a prayer at the Ibrahim-al Khalil Melkite Greek Catholic church in the Jaramana district on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on March 1, 2015. AFP/Louai Beshara

The flashpoint areas in Syria this past week did not change much as the north of the country, (...)

#Aleppo #Bashar_al-Assad #Deraa #France #Harakat_Hazm #Hasaka #ISIS #Kurdish_Forces #Nusra_front #Quneitra #Sweden #turkey

Syrian Opposition Group Rejects #Aleppo #Freeze_Plan
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/24008

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Syrian #rebel forces in Aleppo on Sunday rejected UN envoy #Staffan_de_Mistura's plan for a freeze in fighting in the divided northern city, dealing a blow to his peace efforts. The announcement came during a meeting attended by the exiled National Coalition chief #Khaled_Khoja, who on Sunday praised #France’s anti-Assad stance. On the same day another rebel group in Aleppo dissolved itself and joined an Islamist front.

#Francois_Hollande #French_lawmakers #Hazm #ISIS #National_Coalition_of_Syrian_Revolution_and_Opposition_Forces #Nusra_front #syria #Walid_Muallem

#Iraq Reopens #museum Looted in US-Led Invasion
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/23995

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Iraq’s national museum officially reopened Saturday after 12 years of painstaking efforts during which close to a third of 15,000 pieces looted during the US-led invasion were recovered.

#Baghdad #ISIS